The American Arborvitae is one of those versatile trees that landscapers could never do without. Its evergreen foliage, and upright pyramidal shape, which it maintains without pruning or shaping, makes it a beautiful addition to any project. The tree is a conifer of the cypress family, it seldom reaches a height over twenty feet, and like all cypress-style conifers it is extremely long lived and will provide beauty and joy for many generations after planting. Like all of the cypresses Arborvitae has dense branches tipped with tiny, deep green, scale-like leaves, the trunk is generally of small diameter, and the wood is exceptionally dense and strong.
The name "Arborvitae" means literally "tree of life," and the foliage is rich in vitamin C, but also contains a neurotoxic compound called thujone so internal use is discouraged. Nonetheless, Arborvitae has also been used in making cleansers, disinfectant, hair products, room sprays and soaps.
This tree is widely used on farms, where it is often planted as soon as new ground is broken, because it is such an effective windbreak and it's trouble free growth make it far superior to more high maintenance trees. The tree is fairly slow growing, but once it is established it can tolerate extremes in temperature and water availability that would kill most other trees. As a matter of fact there are examples of living trees which are over 1,000 years old and at least one dead tree has been found with 1,500 yearly growth rings! The tree prefers partial to full sunlight, but is so highly adaptable that it gets along quite well in soils of varying quality, including rocky or clay soils which would never be tolerated by other trees.
The American Arborvitae excels when used as a stand-alone accent tree, but is even better when planted as a privacy hedge. When planted properly the branches intersect and the super dense foliage provides the ultimate in privacy. When planted as a hedge or border American Arborvitae provides the added benefit that there will never again be a need to weed around the border, as the tree shades that ground so densely that nothing will grow under its canopy.
American Arborvitae is relatively easy to transplant and can be purchased at many home improvement stores, though the best option is to buy directly from a mail order or internet tree nursery to get the best quality in seedlings. The American Arborvitae can be found at www.dntnursery.com .
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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